Fruit smoothies contain more calories than Coca-Cola while their high sugar
content can be as damaging to teeth as fizzy drinks, Which? has found.

The consumer group examined 52 smoothies from leading brands and major supermarkets and found that all of them contain more calories per 100ml than a bottle of Coca-Cola.

Nearly half the smoothies contained 30g or more of sugar per 250ml, the equivalent of six teaspoons of sugar.

Consumers spend around £109 million a year on smoothies, however many are unaware that they contain high sugar levels. Which? also found that nearly a third of consumers wrongly believe that the drinks contain two of the recommended ‘five a day’ portions of fruit and vegetables, when they do not.

Which? said that although the sugar in smoothies is from the fruit and not added artificially, the “sugar released when the fruit is juiced or blended is as damaging to teeth as the sugar in fizzy drinks”.

The smoothie found to have the highest number of calories was Asda’s pineapple, banana and coconut smoothie, which contains 71kcal per 100ml compared to 42kcals in Coca-Cola.

Richard Lloyd, executive director at Which?, said: “It’s clear from our research that smoothies might not be as healthy as many people think.

“Smoothies are a good source of fruit and provide valuable vitamins and minerals, but they can contain high levels of sugar and calories so should be consumed as part of a balanced diet.”

In the spring, senior dentists warned that many health-conscious parents are "misguidedly" letting their children's teeth rot by giving them too many fruit smoothies and juice drinks.

The drinks contain such high levels of sugar because of the concentration of fruit in them. For example Which? said that a 250ml bottle of Innocent’s blackberries, strawberries and blackcurrants smoothie contains 3.5 blackberries, one strawberry, 31 blackcurrants, five white grapes, one apple, half an orange and half a banana.

An Asda spokesman said that the company is not “bananas” about Which’s findings.

“Which? pointing out that fresh fruit is high in natural sugar is no bad thing but a smoothie is a million miles away from a bottle of cola. It’s like comparing a broad bean to a jelly bean. All our smoothies are made with nothing but pure fruit and contain at least one of your five a day,” said the spokesman.